as in partial
inclined to favor one side over another
a shamelessly partisan reporter covering the primary campaign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also partizan
1
as in adherent
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
partisans of the charismatic leader refuse to tolerate any criticism of him at all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crusader
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
a partisan of the revolution who was even willing to give her life for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sectarian
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices
she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of partisan
Alina Hartounian, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
The federal government ran out of money at the end of the fiscal year, after members of Congress were unable to overcome partisan differences and agree to pass a funding bill.
—Jordan Green, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025
MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Republicans, meanwhile, have characterized Duggan as a kind of Democratic wolf in an independent sheep's clothing who may have abandoned his party label but is a partisan at heart.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Adjective
One clear pattern is the partisan divide.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
The federal government ran out of money at the end of the fiscal year, after members of Congress were unable to overcome partisan differences and agree to pass a funding bill.
—Jordan Green, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
The cumulative effect is a Congress dominated by out-of-touch partisans more focused on tearing down the other side than governing and addressing the complicated problems facing citizens and the nation.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Republicans, meanwhile, have characterized Duggan as a kind of Democratic wolf in an independent sheep's clothing who may have abandoned his party label but is a partisan at heart.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
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There are also patchy or partial fall colors in the western part of the country, primarily in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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But as midnight that day passed without a vote on a spending plan, lawmakers bought themselves some time with a stopgap funding plan to avert a partial government shutdown for a week.—
Clara Hendrickson,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To watch Lipe-Smith’s Caroline cuddle in bed watching TV on her iPad, or bopping around to JoJo Siwa, or pensively finishing a Popsicle while sitting beside her grandmother at a museum, is to have the sheer malevolence of our current administration and its adherents thrown into sharp relief.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
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But together a picture emerges of a long-standing movement eager to stop anyone who attacks a principle or personality its adherents hold dear.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The white man in question is the show’s protagonist, Lee Raybon, an anticorruption crusader investigating a powerful family in his home city of Tulsa, Okla.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
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But Lee is the kind of crusader who inspires more bemusement than admiration from those around him.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Iraqi prime minister at the time, Nuri al-Maliki, was a Shiite sectarian with close ties to Iran, and many of his fellow Shia thought he could be relied on to listen to Iran’s wishes and find a way to avoid clashing with an Iranian proxy militia.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Both sides insist the other initiated the initial volley of gunfire that killed four agents and six sectarians.—
Joshua Alston,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2023
Adjective
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Tampa is heading into a hostile environment against a feisty Seattle Seahawks team that matches them with a 3-1 record.—
Josh Buckhalter,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Republicans, traditionally seen as more hostile to government, are often viewed as the shutdown aggressors.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Every brand chases clicks, followers and fleeting visibility.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps livestreaming a joke would resonate enough for people to tip or become a follower.—
Lavender Au,
The Dial,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Israeli hostages When Hamas launched its terrorist attack, militants kidnapped nearly 250 hostages -- including women, children and elderly adults -- and took them into Gaza.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
7 Oct. 2025
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He was injured by shrapnel fighting Hamas militants in his community of Kfar Aza and was hospitalized, while his wife, three children, and their neighbor’s child, an American girl named Abigail Idan, who was orphaned in the attack, were among those kidnapped and brought back to Gaza.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Though the Cuban nationalists’ victory was all but assured, the United States entered the fray and swiftly imposed a military occupation over the island.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
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In the mid-1930s, the Spanish Civil War between the fascist forces of Franco and the nationalists was a harbinger that a second general European war lay just over the horizon.—
Christopher C. Gorham
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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